Remaining Frost
by The What-If Writer
Summary: One-Shot: Single piece related to 'Pirates and Survivors' and 'Learn to Plunder.' One night on the shores of the island, a certain ape and armadillo lament about the old days.


_...Its been almost a year since I've been here at the Ice Age fandom. My first fanfiction was for this, and I had an amazing time writing the many stories in this series. It helped my writing so much, everyone who read and reviewed, but not just that- they were so engulfed in the story, guessing things and noticing all the little shout-outs hidden in the chapters...those people helped me so much._

_Kayla the Destroyer, Scruff the Rat, ICEAGEISAWESOME, Raptor Girl, MBSAVfan1, 96DarkAngel, Raptorgirl...anyone I've missed, too...you guys where with me all the way, every chapter. It was the funnest time here on the site :) So consider this a tribute to you guys._

_Though unfortunately only two characters really appear. But, I've been getting an idea lately...for the possible future, though it its only an idea, to do a more darker AU of my story 'Pirates and Survivors' with all the characters. But, just an idea. I won't be doing anymore one-shots anytime soon since I fell out of the fandom over a year ago...though I missed the fun. I'm srry if I didn't comment on your stories, I just didn't feel into ice age. But, I started this around Chrismas, remembering when I was writing a chapter for 'Learn to Plunder' quite clearly. And Nostaglia hit me._

_You guys are all awesome :)_

_ Enjoy._

* * *

Remaining Frost

Little My little, it seemed, over the years things had gradually become warmer. When he'd been born so many years ago, the land was ice itself- coming across a shrub or a bunch of trees where rarer, and even then the familiar sight of snow was never far away.

And now the place he stood on felt like a new word that he'd only registered, the change had been that gradual. He'd been too busy dealing with things to really realize how different everything was.

Yet, off from the distance of the shore, Argeth could still just make out the floating ice; broken glaciers of remaining frost.

...Bah.

"Does your brooding self never die, bud?"

Argeth turned his head and cocked a brow. "Usually it's me approaching you during moments of...brooding. Or just blank minded-ness."

The certain sarcastic armadillo was then greeted with a husky laugh. "Ho, ho...never heard that once before..."

The decidedly giant ape sat down beside him with- and he'd never admit it- slightly more ease that Argeth would have. Nowadays it took more effort to get up and sit down because of his confounded leg; broken in a rockslide years ago. He wasn't what one would call old- perhaps aging. Just starting on that final stage in life. The lines on his face that had always been there where deeper than before, less notable however than the greying fur upon the former pirate.

But Gutt- or Guver- was still very strong and the paler hair did not say otherwise. Argeth folded his arms and sniffed. Jealousy was a stupid emotion in his opinion, and he felt no envy for his old friend.

Gutt would like to think so, sometimes. With or without the damaged leg, though, he wagered the armadillo would hit old age without flinching.

He looked back at the horizon. "I was just wondering. If things had gone differently when we first met again on that blasted ship of yours."

"It was a pretty good ship, chum." Gutt defended offhandedly, scratching at his neck. He didn't sound too bothered, though.

He eyed the drifting ice far off shore. Gutt noticed it too.

"Just like old times, huh? This hole placed probably woulda been under ice when we where kids."

"Yeah...back then we were always moaning about the cold."

"Now I just wanna get away from this blasted heat." Gutt chuckled, running a hand through his spiked hair. It flipped back into place like tree branches.

They could hear the banter of the rabbit twins, Fiver- better known as Squirt, and Ben nearby behind them. Too far for the young bucks to notice. They let the teens go on with their play-fighting. To this day, Squint and Clementine's boys never separated, but that didn't mean the two young men didn't fight like cats and dogs.

Argeth was glad some things didn't change. He continued watching the ice. Gutt did, too. They'd never say, but both of them had a deep, vague wish to go out and touch it, to feel that coldness that their blood had been born to, the chill that had been their home.

Argeth looked at Gutt out of the corner of his eye. He wondered, did he miss the sea? He'd always been drawn to it, even when they where kids. Argeth didn't care much for it, but the coolness the sea had was a little bit like the climate of his childhood. He'd stay near it on the hotter days.

"Ever miss pirating, Gutt?" He asked blankly, in an even tone. The ape snorted.

"...Maybe a lil' bit, Shorty. But I wouldn't go back ta it, wouldn't be worth it. No need to survive like that anymore."

"You enjoyed it."

"Better to survive in a way that's fun, eh? That's how ya-"

"Get back at life." Argeth's lips twitched upwards in a faint smirk. Life handed you terrible situations. Stranding you at sea? Become a pirate. Own the sea. That'll show live. He had to admit, it was a pretty good comeback.

Only...plundering people, he could have done without that...

"Still...it was fun while it lasted."

"Yeah..."

The waves drew in out, like steady breathes below them. The sky was darkening, the sounds of the twin's banter faded away as they went home. Argeth breathed in; the salt smell of the ocean filling his nose, in his lungs.

He breathed out. Sometimes, he dreamed that he awoke back in his childhood home, in his cave. His sister waking him up. He'd moved on, but that didn't mean the memories weren't there.

He knew why Gutt had hated the mammoth so much. For still having, still longing for, that family...like he did.

Gutt had moved on, too. But that didn't mean his wife and daughter had not existed. Cocoum, the little ape boy that was now almost as big as he was, hadn't replaced then. He never said so, but Argeth knew he meant just as much to him.

Like Clementine and her family did to him.

Here they where, the two.

Gutt began humming. Argeth grumbled at the familiar shanty tune with its ridiculously catchy lyrics. Gutt saw his look, his smile broadening in a friendly mock of a smile. Argeth tried, and failed, to smile back.

"You have barley any sense of humor, Shorty." He remarked. Argeth give his usual sneering smirk, though it wasn't very hostile.

"Yeah. You're still young in the head."

"You've always been OLD in the head!" Gutt prodded him in the forehead, almost knocking him over. They both ended up chucking though, the night falling over the beach. Reflecting off the sand.

In the moonlight, the sand looked like ice. In the distance, the remaining frost drifted silently around the sea.


End file.
